Beginnings
by marauderingmarauderer
Summary: A basic "what-if" Wormtail didn't escape fic. Sirius/Harry bonding NO SLASH AU post POA Basically, a fic in which both Sirius and Harry grow to overcome past obstacles. Mentions of abuse/neglect in later chapter not that graphic. PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

Okay. So I'm back. Marauderingmarauderer. I don't have any true intentions with this story but I really hope it turns out into something really good.

It will be set AU, approximately at the end of POA. An essential "what-if" Sirius had be set free story. Mentions of abuse but generally not too graphic (most graphic would be describing what happened but not in vivid detail and it would be brief) and either way it would be later on in the chapters.

This first chapter is mostly setting up the rest of the story. There will be plenty of dialogue in the next few chapters.

Essentially, besides everything I wrote in the story, it all happened exactly as it did in POA (with the exception of the prophecy and Sirius running away).

Chapter One

It was a dark and restless night for young Harry Potter. The sheets of his bed were thrown on the floor in the useless attempts at obtaining a good sleep. Not that he was any stranger to insomnia, but tonight it was for a different reason. Instead of the nightmares or prickling of his scars (however rare it was), he was actually far too excited to sleep tonight.

Indeed, it was hard not to be. He was in his last week of school, exams were finished, and, best of all, Harry was not going to the Dursley's household come this summer vacation.

This was thanks to his Godfather, Sirius Black. The convicted mass murderer, or rather, the _ex_-convicted man who had been wrongfully imprisoned for crimes that befit a rat of a man, Peter Pettigrew, who also went be as Wormtail or Scabbers.

It had been a scary occurrence when Professor Lupin had turned into a werewolf as they stepped outside the Whomping Willow and they had seemingly lost Wormtail. However, it was a sight bit of good luck that Hermione had a time-turner and that she and Harry were able to free Buckbeak, save Sirius and (younger) Harry from the Dementors, and it gave them the opportunity to find the rat. It had been such a coincidence that Harry had not put it past the workings of fate or whatever powers that be that there were. It was a bit unfortunate, however, that they had no means of stunning him since they did not know the spell, but luckily, the petrificus totalis charm worked just as well.

So it was with the rat that they went to the castle and handed it to Professor Dumbledore. It was with that rat that they had captured that they were able to clear Sirius' name.

Of course, it had been a messy affair. Professor Dumbledore had barely enough time to convince the Minister to wait and it took a considerable amount of more time to convince the Minister that Sirius was indeed innocent.

Two days later, as the Supreme Mugwump of the Wizengamot, Professor Dumbledore called upon the case against Sirius Black – a case that should have been heard long ago. It was decided a couple weeks later that Sirius was indeed innocent and received a mighty compensation from the Ministry and custody of Harry as was prescribed in the wills of James and Lily Potter for his false imprisonment and lack of trial.

And now it was a week after and Harry still could not believe the incredibly fortune that befell him. He was going to live with Sirius. Sirius Black, the man who Harry thought was trying to kill him was actually going to save him from his Uncle and Aunt!

It had been years since Harry dreamed of someone saving him from the clutches of his relatives at Privet Drive. He used to hope and pray that one day, someone would come for him. Usually those someone's were a distant relative or even his parents; just someone who would care for him.

But now, his dream was a reality and he could hardly believe it himself. No more awkward conversations about how his summer had been from his friends. No more starving in his "bedroom." No more indifference. No more pain and hiding.

Nothing else mattered. He would hope that Sirius was just as excited as he was at that moment. Harry had come to see him at least twice a day for the past week. Sirius had been staying in the faculty quarters while resting up before trying to find a place. Harry thought that Sirius seemed excited enough, but Harry wasn't one to take things to lightly.

Harry swore to himself that he would not ruin this opportunity and not mess it up so that Sirius could just send him back to his Uncle's house. He just couldn't.

And still, with all of this, Harry could not help but think of all the bad things that had happened in his life, that finally and for once, things seemed to be going his way. There was no Voldemort to step in and take this away from him.

He stood by what he had said to Hermione. He wanted a house in the country – a place where you can see the stars light up through the sky. He had suggested this idea to Sirius. Sirius absolutely adored it and the very next day started looking in different catalogues and through various means.

However, it was Dumbledore who was able to find the perfect house. After much protestations from both Sirius and Harry, he finally gave in to allowing Harry to not go back to the Dursley's for two main reasons: it was what they both wanted more than anything and that he really had no legal jurisdiction over the boy. Dumbledore did, however, forced that he would take care of security measures to which neither Sirius nor Harry had any true objections to.

So it was with this mindset of a new home and life to look forward to that Harry Potter finally fell asleep.

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Sleep was just as difficult for Sirius Black.

Sirius had always been plagued by nightmares from his time in Azkaban and the events that transpired before and after that time.

While he may have been kept sane with his thoughts of innocence, there was still the emotional damage that he had not escaped. Indeed it was impossible to escape, unless you were truly crazy beforehand such as his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange.

So it was with that knowledge that he woke up in a fit before looking around and calming himself down. He was safe and he knew it.

It would take a long time before he finally got over his stay at the wizarding prison. But he was sure that he would make a full recovery. At the very least, he wanted to get over his nightmares. They didn't come that often anymore. It happened on very rarely occasions, maybe once or twice a month.

Tonight just wasn't his night apparently.

He got up and got a glass of water as he tried to calm his racing heart. He knew it was only a natural thing but he truly hated the nightmares. There was hardly a feeling he hated more than feeling helpless. In his parent's house, he felt it. In Azkaban, he felt it. And in his nightmares, he felt it.

And he hated all three of those things.

The only thought that truly seemed to calm him down was that he would be living with his Godson.

He had such fond memories of Harry when he was just a baby, before all the terrible things happened that changed both of their lives. He had been shocked to see such a mature young man that looked like James' clone when he first saw Harry. The more he got to know Harry, the more he liked him. He had James' flair and Lily's compassion. And yet, he was still his own person. He was glad that they were able to talk at such long lengths.

It had been years since Sirius dreamed about seeing Harry again. He used to hope and pray for it, no matter how difficult it was to do that in Azkaban. That he would be let free and they had realized they had made a mistake. But that was not to be. He had to break out and prove that he was innocent.

He really hoped that Harry was just as excited about living together as he was. At least, he seemed excited. But Sirius was never one to take things lightly, well at least not now.

He swore to himself that he would never let Harry down and that he would not drive Harry away. He would not mess this up and make Harry want to move back with his relatives.

He had been surprised when Dumbledore conceded and allowed them to live together. Though he probably shouldn't have been seeing as Dumbledore didn't have much of a choice. But he was glad to accept the offers of protections on the new house. Nothing was more important to Sirius now than Harry's safety.

Life couldn't get any better than this.

With that thought, Sirius was finally able to find comfort in his bed and gently fell asleep.

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End of Chapter 1

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	2. Chapter 2

So it's time for Chapter 2.

I know it is really quick but I figured I'd get in as much writing as I possibly can before I start classes in the fall.

So this is the first interaction that we will see with Sirius and Harry in this fic. It will be kept light. Remember this is a generally feel good fic. Nothing amazingly horrible will happen… well, at least not so horrible as to kill Harry.

Things are starting to get rolling a bit. I'm still not sure the entire direction but I'm feeling my way around it.

It isn't as long as I had wanted it to be, but I don't think I have the energy to add much more to this chapter.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Harry awoke from his slumber. He had only woken up once during the night so it had been a good night.

He stretched as he got out of his bed and blindly reached for his glasses on his nightstand. He made his way over to the bathroom and he washed up, getting ready for the day. He changed his clothes and walked down to the common room where Hermione had already been for about fifteen minutes reading a book.

"Hey, Hermione," said Harry.

Hermione glanced up from her book and smiled warmly.

"Good morning, Harry," Hermione said, "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," Harry replied, "I was thinking of heading down to breakfast and then visiting Sirius. Do you want to come down with me?"

"Well I'd love to Harry," Hermione said quickly, "but shouldn't we wait for Ron?"

"I would but I'd rather not starve," Harry joked lightly, "It'll take forever to wake him up."

Hermione sighed, "Well I suppose…"

Harry wasn't sure what the problem was, but he guessed that she just didn't want to stop reading her book. He decided to take some pity on his friend.

"Well I'll tell you what," Harry started as he walked towards her, "Why don't I just go down and you can wait for Ron? It'll give you time to read some more of your book."

Harry looked at the cover of the book and found it to have a very interesting title. "The Inner Workings of the Mind." Harry wasn't sure what exactly it covered, but he supposed it was some form of magic. He didn't ask Hermione, because he definitely did not want a thorough explanation of every single detail. That would take longer than Ron waking up.

Hermione, meanwhile, replied, "That sounds fine, Harry. See you later."

Harry waved as he walked out the portrait into the corridor.

Hermione looked at her best friend as he walked out with warmth in her heart. She had never truly seen Harry so at ease. He had gone through so much in his life. She could not imagine what it must have been like growing up without parents. And then he had found out later when he was eleven that they had actually been murdered. And all of his adventures that he'd had since then. Dealing with death and surviving. She knew that Harry was used to surviving. She had always just thought that he should be _living_. And now Sirius was bringing him a step closer to that. She supposed that a weight had been lifted as soon as Sirius stepped into his life.

But then that got her wondering, what exactly had that weight been?

She knew that he didn't like his relatives. But they honestly couldn't have been that horrible to him... Could they?

She shook the thoughts from her head. She knew she was just over-thinking. She always seemed to do that.

She then stopped her thinking and picked up her book. She figured since Sirius had gone through hell and back, that he might be a little emotionally unstable. So she obtained a book on healing the mind. She had read through it and figured that Sirius seemed to be going through something called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, it seemed to be light and with Harry in his life, someone to care for, she figured that Sirius could overcome it with little difficulty. He had already made so many improvements since when they first met, according to the book.

But she also made a surprising discovery. Some of the symptoms in the book also seemed to describe Harry. Of course she had known that the Dursley's would neglect him. She had been horrified to hear that he had bars on his bedroom door keeping him locked in. Ron had told her the story of when he broke Harry out right before second year.

Something had unsettled Hermione, but for Harry's sake she wasn't going to bring anything up and kick up dirt on a forgotten past.

She shook her head and read on in the book, waiting for Ron to finally make an appearance so that she could head to breakfast.

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While Hermione had been thinking and waiting for Ron, Harry went to the Great Hall and ate a small breakfast. After he had finished he raced to Sirius' quarters and skidded to stop in front of the door. He gathered his wits and knocked on the door.

He heard some shuffling on other side. Usually Sirius was up at this time. Hopefully Harry didn't wake him.

He heard the door click as a tired albeit happy Sirius opened it up.

"Harry," Sirius exclaimed.

"Hey Sirius," said Harry as he gave an awkward hand shake/pat on the back. He supposed that was the closest thing he could get to hug.

They both went inside and sat down at Sirius' table. The quarters he was in were very nice. It came with essentially anything – a bedroom, a bathroom, a living room, and even a small dining room.

While not overly lavish it was certainly an improvement to the living conditions to which Sirius had been accustomed.

There was a half eaten breakfast on the table alongside a Daily Prophet. It was clear that Harry had come in while Sirius had been eating. Harry felt a little bad, but saw that Sirius didn't mind and just resumed eating his breakfast.

"So Harry," Sirius said, in between bites, "What brings you to my room so early in the morning?"

Harry didn't want to anger his Godfather so he added an apologetic tone as he spoke.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your breakfast. I can come back later."

Sirius held up his hand as Harry started to get up.

"Don't be silly, Harry," Sirius started, "Of course I'm glad you came. I was just wondering for what reason."

Harry thought. Why did he always want to come here? Sure he was his Godfather, which should be enough reason. Maybe so that he could hear more stories about his parents. Harry thought these would make good answers but he knew that wasn't why.

"I don't know," he started in soft voice, "I guess I just like hanging around with you."

Sirius was touched – to say the least. His eyes grew distant for a moment as he came back to reality.

"Well," Sirius quipped, "You better, because we are going to be spending a lot of time together."

And of course this made Harry deliriously happy. Nothing could make him so deliriously happy than knowing that someone wanted to be with him. It was different from Ron, Hermione, or even Mrs. Weasley. It was just someone that he could be with.

But on the same token, Harry had been hurt before. He wasn't so easy to trust any one. Even if that person seemed to live and die for him.

He'd been hurt before.

Sirius noted Harry's lack of anything to say. Maybe he overstepped his bounds? It wasn't like anything he had said was untrue. On the contrary, Sirius hoped for it. And he hoped that Harry wanted it too.

With that he picked up the Daily Prophet and started reading where he had left off.

Sirius and Harry spent the entire morning together. They joked and laughed. Sirius told him some stories of the Marauder's time.

Harry was beyond content. And Sirius was as well. It seemed that nothing could go wrong. They both knew that there would be difficulties in the future; that is just how life occurred. But at least for now, nothing would go wrong.

"So then, after all the pinactul potion had gotten all over the classroom. We turned to leave but James couldn't because it had burned through his clothes," finished Sirius laughing hysterically.

And Harry joined in. Harry was laughing a lot now. They both were. The entire morning had been that way. It was a nice change and indicator of the things that were to come.

Just then they heard a knock at the door. Sirius got up after wiping a tear away from his eyes and walked over. He opened the door.

It was Professor Dumbledore.

He came in and saw the two of them together and had a twinkling in his eye.

"Why hello Harry," he acknowledged both of them with a nod of his head, "Sirius."

"Hello, Professor," Harry greeted.

"Hello, Professor, to what do we owe this visit?" asked Sirius as he offered him a chair, to which Dumbledore reclined. Instead he conjured up his own chair.

"Well, Sirius" started Dumbledore, "as you are fully aware, the house is almost complete and wards are almost fully in place. We just need you to come over to the house and inspect as well as place the final ward. Since it will be your house, the job can only go to you alone."

Sirius agreed immediately. They would go that afternoon to finish up the house. Then the next day would see Harry and Sirius living there together.

Sirius was happy.

Harry was happy.

Ron had been worried about his friend for a while. Harry might have thought that nobody noticed that he didn't sleep very well, but Ron did. He didn't know why. But it made him worry.

So when Harry bounded into the common room that afternoon all excited, Ron was pleased. Harry started telling him and Hermione that the next day Harry would be moving into his new home with Sirius.

He smiled and laughed. This was a brand new Harry, not the one that swore vengeance, but the one who seemed carefree – if only for that afternoon.

Ron was Harry's best mate and had gone through a decent amount of rough times with Harry. Facing a troll a basilisk, and Voldemort could definitely not have been easy.

Ron was just glad that finally he was able to be with him during the good times.

End of Chapter 2

Next chapter they move into the house and it is full Harry and Sirius for awhile (with small snippets of Remus)

Did you like it? Hate it?

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	3. Chapter 3

Okay so here is Chapter 3…

I've been told that it would be better if my chapters were longer. And how I wish I would be able to do that, but there are just a few problems with that…

I honestly don't put more than about 45 minutes worth of work into each chapter and I really don't plan on doing more.

My style of writing is kind of weird. It's full of decent sized somewhat fancy words, which gives it a kind of "smart" feeling to it (I like to think). Honestly it's not a lot of words, but what there is full with meat.

The only thing that has ever given me problems while I write is dialogue. Not that I can't think of anything to write. I just find the entire process to be way too long to make it seem realistic like an actual conversation was taking place.

There will be more dialogue throughout the chapters, though, so don't worry about that. I was just letting you know so that you can know why I haven't included much dialogue in the past (and this) chapters.

And here we go…

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Chapter 3

As Harry had stepped out onto Platform 9 and ¾, he searched around for Sirius knowing that he would be there waiting for him.

It didn't take long to pick him out from the crowd and Harry quickly rushed out to greet him extremely enthusiastically, even though it had only been a few hours since they were together.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Weasley family and promises to Mrs. Weasley that he would come visit over the summer, Harry and Sirius were on their way to their new home.

Harry had never apparated before so he found the entire process quite uncomfortable. He didn't like the feeling of being squeezed through a tube and would have rather have done without it.

But he couldn't help but love the end of his trip, as he gazed at the house.

Sirius smiled at Harry's face of amazement.

"Welcome, Harry, to your new home."

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Harry and Sirius had wasted no time in getting into the house.

Harry had been exhausted from the lack of sleep. He was just too excited. Sirius had been exhausted because he kept on putting last minute additions to the house all night and day.

So it was no surprise when they walked into the house with everything in to, Harry barely noticed anything else except for the large, comfortable couch in the living room. He made his way over and decidedly plopped down before Sirius could tell him anything.

Sirius was about to suggest that if Harry were so tired that he should go to his room, but decided against it. Harry looked very peaceful as he rested his eyes; so peaceful in fact that Sirius was tempted to join him.

And as many people do, Sirius fell under the pressures of his temptation and sat down next to his near catatonic Godson.

"Okay, Harry," said Sirius tiredly, "we'll take a quick break before I give you a tour of the house, eh?"

"Mmhm… sure, Sirius," agreed Harry, though more to silence his Godfather than anything else.

Sirius yawned.

"Well I'll just rest my eyes for a few seconds," murmured Sirius. "Merlin, this couch is comfortable."

There was nothing wrong with Sirius plan when he thought it up and, quite honestly, it was made with the best of intentions, but it subconsciously went to hell as became evident when soon the sounds of Godfather and Godson taking in even breaths permeated the room.

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Sirius awoke about half an hour later with his eyes blurred over in slight confusion. His eyes came into focus as he realized that he was in his new home and that he must have fallen asleep.

He tried to shift positions but realized that there was something on his shoulders when he first started to move.

It was his Godson.

Tenderness welled up in his heart for the young thirteen year old. This was the closest he and Harry had ever been physically, save for when he had been a baby, and he was not going to ruin the moment.

Hopefully when Harry woke up he wouldn't be too embarrassed – Sirius knew that this was probably around the age that kids pulled away from parental figures. But he hoped that Harry wouldn't pull away from him. It didn't seem like he had had much of a father figure in his life. From what Harry had told him of the Dursley's, they didn't seem like the kind of folk that would offer Harry comfort.

This made Sirius' features scrunch in a slight discomfort that had nothing to do with his sitting position. He hated to think that Harry had not grown up with affection. Sirius had promised himself that he would make sure that Harry knew that he was there for him for whatever he needed – to talk, to play, or to just sit in silence.

Sirius had always felt a small voice in the back of his mind, telling him that he had failed James when he had told him that he would take care of Harry no matter what happened. He was finally going to be able to tell that voice to shove it.

Sirius may not have been there before but he was now and nothing was going to change that.

He looked down at his sleeping Godson.

He had at least owed him that.

Sirius sighed as he looked around. He grabbed his wand and silently summoned a blanket and placed it over his Godson using a levitation spell. He took off Harry's glasses and placed them onto table in front of the couch and then ruffled Harry's hair a bit.

Sirius decided to try and go to sleep again. He was still tired and had no intention on getting up and potentially ruining this moment. He didn't know when another one would happen again.

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Approximately twenty minutes after that Harry stirred from his slumber. He stared around not truly being able to see but noticed he had been lying on top of large figure.

Harry found his glasses on the table in front of him and put them on. He hadn't remembered taking them off. He looked around at the figure.

It was Sirius.

Harry's heart leapt into his throat. He'd never been this close to any one before. Especially when he had been sleeping.

He didn't know what to think. A part of him was extremely embarrassed at this; what would Sirius do if he had woken up? Would he mind?

But then Harry noticed he was covered in a blanket. Sirius must have put it there. If he minded would he have put a blanket there? Probably not. He also realized that Sirius had probably taken off Harry's glasses and put them down.

Harry looked down at the blanket. He didn't know why he felt so touched. It wasn't even cold in the house so he really didn't need it.

But still, nobody had ever taken care to let him sleep and make him feel comfortable. Nobody had ever taken off his glasses and put them away or put a blanket over him. And certainly nobody had ever taken the time to sleep right next to him.

He didn't know what he was feeling or what he should be feeling. Comforted? Touched, certainly.

Harry was glad that Sirius had not been awake to see Harry battle through all these emotions. He had always tried to keep a stoic face but even he knew that he was miserable at that.

Still. Harry really enjoyed being there with Sirius – to have a warm body next to him… someone who cared.

'This may be my last chance to do something like this. And I am still pretty tired. If Sirius didn't mind before, then he probably shouldn't mind again?' Thought Harry uncertainly.

He sighed as he came to a decision. He took of his glasses and placed them back on the table.

And then Harry Potter took comfort and placed his head on his Godfather sleeping form and fell asleep.

End of Chapter 3

Okay, I know. Barely any dialogue and it's extremely short. I just couldn't think of how to incorporate what I want to do next without taking a lot more time and a lot more writing, which would have lead to more time waiting for you people.

I promise that there will be loads more dialogue in the next chapter.

I know its all a little to cutesy. But this is some of the stuff that I really wish more people would put into their fics. Just bonding. There sometimes doesn't need to be any words to do it.

I think people truly show their love to one another when one is sleeping. Kind of like how parents watch their sleeping children sort of thing.

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so here is my next chapter.

Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing, you are the guys who have really been pushing me to continue on with the story.

I'm so sorry it took so long. I'm just starting up with college now and I have 9 classes come the fall because I'm a music performance major so I've been preparing and arguing with people at financial aid. I haven't been putting in too much effort and for that I apologize. But even some things come before Harry Potter…

So Chapter 4….

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Chapter 4

It was daylight the next morning as both Harry and Sirius stirred from their sleep.

Sirius had woken up about ten minutes before Harry had; and much like last night, he didn't really have the heart to wake him up. Unfortunately, his stomach had other plans as it growled loudly – the result being that it gently woke Harry up.

Harry looked around as Sirius handed him his glasses. He put them on and looked at Sirius and couldn't help but put on a sheepish face.

"Good morning, Harry," stated Sirius in a very bright manner.

"Morning," replied Harry, looking quite a bit unnerved.

"Well it would seem that we must have fallen asleep on the couch," said Sirius, stating the obvious.

"Err, yeah," mumbled Harry awkwardly. He still didn't know what to expect. But obviously it seemed like Sirius did not care. Harry was glad, if a bit confused at the moment… and a bit hungry.

Sirius, as if reading his mind, got up very quickly and said:

"Well I'm quite famished and I'm sure you are as well, seeing as we both skipped dinner last night. Why don't we go in the kitchen and whip up some breakfast?"

Harry quickly nodded his agreement and followed his Godfather into the kitchen.

The _huge_ kitchen.

Harry gaped. He hadn't truly noticed but every room in the house he had been in so far seemed to be amazingly big. But he supposed that since he had only been in the living room and the kitchen, that wasn't truly saying much.

But this kitchen was huge.

Sirius chuckled as he saw Harry's face.

"I had almost forgotten that you haven't been in here yet," remarked Sirius almost calmly. "I suppose it's my fault. I was supposed to give you a tour yesterday."

Harry just looked around in silence. He didn't know what he was supposed to say.

"It was as much my fault as it was yours," Harry pointed out.

Sirius looked at his Godson and smiled fondly.

"Indeed, I suppose it was. Never mind then," Sirius stated. "Well, what would you like for breakfast, Harry?"

Harry kind of looked at Sirius with an almost wide-eyed stare.

"You want me to choose?" he asked.

"Well," Sirius started, a bit confused, but with a teasing tone, "I wouldn't have asked you that if I didn't think you would."

"Of course," said Harry, "Well, what do you have to eat?"

Sirius had been preparing the house for a few days now and had thought out almost everything; from wards, to the comforts of the house, to the location, and everything.

But as he looked through the pantries, he realized one crucial element he had forgotten. The one thing he was in most need of right now.

_Food._

Sirius looked around sheepishly at Harry.

"Um, on second thought," Sirius began, "Why don't we go out for breakfast?"

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It had taken about ten minutes at looking at maps before they were able to find a small breakfast shop that served a traditional English breakfast.

But ten minutes was way too long for Sirius' depraved body and he made a show of moaning and aching, leaving Harry rolling his eyes and chuckling at the antics of his questionably older guardian.

They had finally made it to the restaurant and ordered their respective foods when a lull came in the conversation they had been having which had to do with Quidditch.

Harry glanced around awkwardly at the different people eating in the restaurant. It had been a favorite past time of his when he was much younger – _People Watching_.

He supposed he had picked it up from Aunt Petunia as she would look around and judge people; making rude comments behind their back and questioning their life's choices.

But that's not what he liked to do. He liked to look at people and try and make up stories with their lives. When he was little he never truly felt happy, so he figured at least some people should – even if the stories weren't true.

Sirius had also taken to people watching. But it was one person in particular that he had truly watched. Harry seemed to be content with the silence as he gazed around. He would occasionally smile as if a funny thought occurred to him. He would shake his head so slightly that Sirius wondered if he hadn't imagined it. He would then return to his breakfast and take another bite.

Harry had been taking a bite of his food and he couldn't help but feel someone was staring at him. He looked up and saw Sirius eyes. He smiled sheepishly.

Sirius raised his eyebrows and made a funny face at the boy.

Harry rolled his eyes and returned to his breakfast with a smile.

All was right with the world.

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"So Harry," said Sirius grinning widely, "you are finally going to get a tour of the house!"

Harry grinned. From what he had seen of the house it was spectacular. They were outside and it just huge. The house was right next to a small forest and there were no houses around. It was just them and no one else. Not another single person around. And Harry liked it that way.

Sirius ushered Harry.

"Right well, this is the entrance hall and over there is the common room," said Sirius redundantly, Harry already knew where those things were. "Kitchen right through there. But of course you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Yes, Sirius," said Harry a little impatiently.

"Well then right over here is the dining room, we're probably only going to eat here when we have company though. Kitchen table's just as good for the two of us," said Sirius.

He led Harry through the three guest bedrooms on the floor. Harry was amazed. From the outside the house didn't look this big. He suspected that magic might have played a role in this.

He thought all of it was spectacular. Harry didn't think it could get better. Then they went to the second floor. Sirius led him to a door that had the word "Harry" neatly painted on.

Harry was shaking slightly as he reached for the handle and turned the knob.

He looked inside. His jaw dropped.

It was spacious. The color was a light blue even though it had Gryffindor banners and Quidditch posters on the wall. He looked questioning at Sirius.

"Blue had always been your mum's favorite color," he mentioned.

Harry looked around the room. He had never known his parent's favorite colors and had never even thought to ask.

"What was my dad's favorite color?" he asked, his voice shaking. "Red and gold?"

"No, actually," said Sirius, "his favorite color was green. Not for the Slytherin colors. But because of your mum's eyes."

Harry was so completely overwhelmed by this point. This man had done everything he had ever dreamed of and more. He took him away from the Dursley's, he gave him a home, he told him about his parents, and, most important of all, he genuinely loved him.

He turned to Sirius and attacked him with a bone-breaking hug that would have put Molly Weasley to shame.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much, Sirius," repeated Harry as Sirius returned the hug with same intensity.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

"And there is plenty of space outside and it has notice me not charms so that muggles won't come by. We could play Quidditch!" exclaimed Harry to Ron through a floo call.

It had been about a week since they moved into the home, which Harry lovingly dubbed the Marauder's Mansion and everything was going great. Harry and Sirius got along perfectly. So well that you would have thought they had lived together for years.

Some people just click like that.

"That's _bloody_ wicked, mate," exclaimed Ron very loudly. So loudly in fact that you could hear Mrs. Weasley's shrieks on the other side telling her youngest son not to curse.

Harry smiled. It had been about half an hour since the conversation started and he was glad he was talking to his best friend.

"Well, mate, you can come over whenever," Harry said.

Sirius raised his eyebrows rather slightly. This had not been something they had really discussed.

"Oh that would be perfect mate!" yelled Ron. "I doubt my mum would let me come over today though. Maybe tomorrow!"

"Yeah that sounds perfect," Harry said. Then he looked at Sirius' face and knew that he was done talking. "Let me know if you can later. I got to go now."

"Okay, bye mate," said Ron.

"Bye," replied Harry.

Now Sirius wasn't really mad; he was a little annoyed more than anything else. But 12 years in Azkaban in solitary confinement left you in the dark about how your facial expressions might appear to anyone else.

To Harry, Sirius looked really mad. He tried to wrack his brain as to why that might be. He had invited Ron over… without Sirius' permission. Harry's heart stopped. How could he have been so stupid? He had just gone and ruined everything. Sirius thought he was ungrateful.

Sirius started, "Well Harry, looks like we need to have a talk."

"I'm sorry, Sirius," said Harry apologetically, "I didn't mean to invite Ron without asking you. It wa-"

"Calm down, Harry," interrupted Sirius. "Well it's good to know you figured out to ask me first. Maybe we'll try that next time?"

"Of course, Sirius," said Harry.

"Good, now lets forget this whole thing and have us a cuppa, eh?" suggested Sirius as he already started to make his way over to the kitchen.

Halfway through his tea though, Harry decided to ask a question that had been nagging in the back of his mind.

"Sirius?"

"Yeah, pup?"

"Why exactly can't Ron come over?"

Sirius was a little confused.

"I never said anything about that, Harry," stated Sirius.

"I mean, he's my best mate, and I really miss him, Sirius," said Harry.

"I know, pup," replied Sirius, trying to stop his Godson.

Harry was a little annoyed now. Mood swings affect all teenagers. One second, Harry was happy, the next scared, and now he was really annoyed.

"Don't call me 'pup.' I'm not a little kid," Harry hissed out venomously.

Sirius physically recoiled.

Harry felt bad immediately. He hadn't meant to hurt, Sirius. But before he had gotten up the courage to say anything. Sirius got up from the table and left the kitchen.

Harry was definitely going to get kicked out now. Forgetting to ask Sirius' permission was one thing. But now for sure Sirius thought he was ungrateful. He didn't know why he had snapped at him. He didn't mean it. He liked being called "pup." It made him remember that there was someone looking out for him.

And now he had lost it all.

Sirius had gone to his room. His mind was numb except for one thing that was coursing through his veins.

Harry hates me.

Not that he could blame him. He hadn't been there for him when he was a kid. He had gone after the rat rather than take Harry. And now Harry realized it and felt he would be better off at the Dursleys. This day could not have gotten worse.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Harry waited for about half an hour around the house. Waiting for Sirius to come to him and tell him that he was going back to the Dursleys. Harry couldn't go back. He would do anything for Sirius – beg, plead, anything if it meant staying with Sirius.

It had been about another hour after that that Sirius decided to go downstairs.

Sirius was about to open his mouth to speak when suddenly Harry started all at once.

"Sirius, I'm so sorry," started Harry. "I didn't mean it. I swear. Please don't send me away. I'll do anything you want. I like it when you call me 'pup.' I can't stand the thought of going back to the Dursleys. Please. Please."

He began muttering semi-coherently as he couldn't even make eye contact with him.

Sirius immediately took Harry up into a bone-crushing hug.

"Harry, of course I don't want you to leave," said Sirius. "I was just worried that you would want to. I know I haven't been the best Godfather and I –"

"What?!" yelled Harry, "You are the best Godfather I could have ever asked for. Please, I just want to stay here with you."

He looked down embarrassedly at his trainers as he said this last part. Of course, Sirius would laugh at him for saying something so stupid.

But he didn't.

"Harry, you will always have a home here. I will always look after you. Don't ever doubt it," said Sirius with the most sincerity he had ever said anything before.

Harry looked up into his eyes and smiled a huge smile.

"I won't."

There you have it. Chapter 4. Sorry it took so long

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!

I need many many many reviews telling me what you think.

PLEASE!!!!


	5. Chapter 5

So… a million apologies are in order.

I've been very busy. And I kind of felt I had grown up past this point of doing fanfiction.

Oh how stupid I was.

I've read some reviews from different people and they really touched me. Thank you so much to the amazing reviews this story has gotten since I went on hiatus!

So, marauderingmarauderer is back… if just for one more chapter.

(I'm going to be very busy again, I'm going to be in an opera production at school this semester)

Chapter 5…

…

"Oi, get back here!" Ron yelled as Harry started to run away from his best mate.

It had been a few weeks since Harry moved into Sirius', no _his_ new home.

And it was the best time of his life so far. Hogwarts offered him a refuge from the Dursley's, but sometimes Hogwarts was too much in and of itself.

His new home offered him refuge from all the adventures and mysteries that always seemed to plague him there. Not that he didn't enjoy

adventure and mystery in his young life, but one could get tired of it.

Now, the reason Harry was running away from his best mate was because at that moment, he had unleashed a water balloon, that was so gigantic

that magic _must _ have had a role in its creation, on Ron's head as he was taking a nap on the grass.

The yelling disrupted Sirius' read through of the Daily Prophet.

He almost became annoyed before he realized that he could really care less about being an adult. He grinned as he got up out of his chair and started to walk to the door outside from his study.

He caught his godson right outside the door.

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, "You've got to let me go! Ron's going to kill me."

"Oh really?" Sirius replied. "Well, we can't have that now, can we?"

Harry became slightly frightened at the tone of Sirius' voice.

"Ron!" Sirius yelled. "Looking for someone?"

Sirius hoisted Harry above his shoulder - not an easy feat, but one he felt was quite necessary - and ran outside to Ron.

"What's the big idea?" Ron huffed. "Can't do that to your best mate now, can you? It's just not on."

Harry was caught somewhere between the terror and the hilarity of the situation.

"Yes, Harry," Sirius interrupted, "you know it's not on to fool around with a mate's nappy time."

Harry burst out laughing as Ron quickly uttered, "Oi, shut up!"

Sirius barked out a laugh. "Here you, go he's all yours."

Sirius set Harry down and Ron quickly tackled him. The teenage boys began to wrestle in the good spirit that can only accompany youth. Sirius grabbed his wand and then whispered "_aguamenti."_

The two boys became drenched as they suddenly stopped fighting each other. They looked at each other and in the way only best friends can, immediately decided telepathically to attack Sirius.

'_I should have seen this coming'_ thought Sirius as he started to run away from the two teenagers.

But as he was getting older and not quite as quick as he used to be, they caught up to him in no time and proceeded to retaliate.

It was a good day.

….

Later that night, Harry was curled up on the couch in the living room. It was his favorite spot to be in the entire house, particularly at night.

Ron had gone home later that afternoon. Sirius had washed and dried his clothes using a laundry spell he had learned in his bachelor days, but Molly Weasley knew immediately

that her son's clothing had been tainted and gave Sirius a serious talking to. (*AN- pardon the pun, it was unintentional, but I didn't have the heart to take it out.*)

Harry had been laughing in the other room as he heard Sirius having a conversation in the fire with the Weasley Matriarch, assuring her it would never happen again. Sirius felt bad for

obviously lying to her, but it was with all good intent.

Sirius sighed as he walked into the room.

"The trouble you put me through, pup," he stated with a smirk.

Harry immediately felt bad and started to apologize.

"Harry," Sirius interrupted. "Calm down, I was just joking with you. Geez, you need to lighten up."

"Lighten up?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, you know," Sirius commented, "learn how to take a joke, or to joke for that matter. Your dad and I were the king of jokers when we were your age. You couldn't get us to stop."

"You were?" Harry asked, playing along with Sirius, although he already knew that the Marauders were jokers.

"Yup, pup! We were an unstoppable team! You're dad and I came up with the ideas and Moony would often help out with the execution, being as smart as he was."

"Because you weren't smart enough?" Harry asked cheekily.

Sirius paused, "And here I was thinking you couldn't joke around, pup! Where has this been hiding?"

Harry laughed as he said, "It comes and goes."

Sirius looked to Harry, contemplating with great focus.

"I know what we're going to be doing this summer," Sirius stated with a tone that Harry knew could only mean trouble.

"What's that Sirius?" Harry asked.

"I'm going to teach you how to _consistently_ joke!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Consistently joke?" Harry asked skeptically.

When you enter your fourth year, the professors won't know what hit them."

"Well actually, Sirius," Harry started. "They know that I'm living with you, so they'll probably figure out what hit them."

"And he's clever too!" Sirius laughed.

Harry laughed as well, though not knowing what was so funny. He always laughed when he was with Sirius. Most of the time there wasn't even a reason.

"Shut up," Harry said.

Sirius put his arm around Harry as he exclaimed in mock shock, "Shut up? My godson, the potty mouth."

Harry just rolled his eyes at his Godfather's antics and walked to the kitchen, "I'm going to make myself a sandwich. I sure hope _somebody_ remembered to go grocery shopping."

Sirius laughed as he watched Harry leave the room. He was so proud of his Godson, and actually loved the fact that he wasn't a jokester… yet. He had always wanted to train his Godson in that field

and now it looked like he was getting his wish.

Sirius didn't have a lot of time for laughter in his stint at Azkaban. One of the things that worried him after he escaped was the thought that he would never be able to laugh again.

And for awhile, he didn't. And then Harry came into his life. Harry, God bless him, was not the funniest of children, but he always seemed to bring out the laughter in Sirius.

And Sirius could really use that.

Azkaban changed Sirius, there was not a doubt. He always had a dark cloud over his head. He could not shake the feeling that dementors were lurking somewhere. The coldness they exude affected

him more deeply than he cared to admit.

He heard Harry call out from the kitchen, "Hey, Sirius! Would you mind turning down the temperature? I feel like I'm being cooked alive."

Sirius forced a laugh as he yelled back, "Sure thing, pup! Sorry about that!"

Sirius took out his wand and made it a little bit colder in the house. Not much, just a little. He hated the cold. It was so cold in Azkaban.

He shook his head as he put away his wand. Some thoughts were better left avoided.

It really was so great that he was able to be a little bit of a kid again with Harry. He really loved the kid. He knew he could never replace James, and he knew that Harry was not his best friend. But it

was nice to have a little reminder with him. And he was realizing that Harry was his own person - unique and everything.

He was actually a little more like Lily. She was always a sweet heart.

Sirius hoped that he could give Harry the home he deserves.

Sirius hoped that he could give himself the home he deserved.

End… for right now at least. I might revisit this later.


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